An international online research workshop

December 8–10, 2020

 

Sacred places embody extensive repertoires of meanings and identities. Far beyond the specific realm of religion and pilgrimage, the sacred place is a prism through which we can examine the fabric of intellectual and social life. The perpetual need for sacred places, the ways they form and are shaped, and the wonder that underlies them can all help shed light on the culture in which we live.

The workshop, organized by the Sacredness, Religion and Secularization research cluster at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, will examine sacred places in the global world in the era of post- secular culture. To that end, we wish to focus on the connection between the theological, historical, and material dimensions of sacred places, with an emphasis on three contemporary aspects: globalization, tourism, and technology. The current global situation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which adds a new and destabilizing angle to all three aspects, will also be taken into consideration.